Jets and Rockets!
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The Cold War was an amazing time of wholesale fear tied to the rise of technology.
As world powers tread lightly on subjects of military might, atomic weapons, and troop deployments, the engineering behind the power was being displayed and used in other ways. Rocket power and jet bombers were perfect examples of technology which had come to fruition in the 1950s, and ultimately fine-tuned into the factors we see in the picture above.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Bell X-15 and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.
The X-15 was built to test the limits of aerospace technology, operating from 1959 to 1970 with NASA. It set many records in both speed and altitude,
An American icon of power and aviation, the B-52 first flew in 1954 and went into service with the US Air Force in 1955. Of the original 744 built through 1962, about 85 continue to fly. I started looking for cool B-52 pictures recently after reading that the planes were now being configured with Sniper Pods, which will make them an even-more effective tool when collaborating air strikes with ground forces. Current fitment timelines have it flying – with continuous maintenance – until its full retirement in the 2040s.
That’s right; it will be flying the skies in our military for nearly 90 years.
Now that’s what I call Long Range!
June 13, 2013
BelRedRoad
